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At mobile clinics, Connecticut health care workers provide ‘a clinic for the whole person,’ using lessons learned during the pandemic
Alex Putterman, Hartford Courant, Feb. 6
Drawing on successes from mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites, Hartford HealthCare’s neighborhood health team attempts to meet people where they are at by bringing resources into communities. They offer medical treatments as well as legal services, behavioral health resources, and help accessing public benefits.
The Biden administration will pay community groups to help boost trust in vaccines
Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, Feb. 8
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration is distributing its fourth round of funding to community groups to better connect people to local services and get them vaccinated against COVID-19. The federal agency acknowledged the effectiveness of using trusted voices within a community to help people stay safe from COVID and meet their basic needs.
Related: Anchors of trust in Bridgeport, CT Health grantee spotlight
Americans get sicker as omicron stalls everything from heart surgeries to cancer care
Will Stone, NPR, Feb. 4
As the omicron variant hit in full force last month, hospitals across the country started pausing elective procedures. Although elective procedures are scheduled, they are still essential procedures that could have consequences if delayed. The decision to pause elective procedures was based on strained hospital resources and a workforce that was already depleted.
Black history lives in memories and minds. COVID-19 has endangered those traditions
Janell Ross, TIME, Feb. 1
Many Black Americans hold eyewitness accounts of Black history, and it is essential that these stories are captured and preserved. The unexpected loss, disruptions, and distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by stark racial disparities in infections and deaths, made it difficult to collect and document oral histories.
Lockdowns, remote learning contribute to surge in childhood obesity
Kate Farrish, Connecticut Health I-Team, Feb. 7
The obesity rate among children ages 10 to 17 rose from 13.3 percent in 2018-19 to 15.3 percent in 2019-2020. Nutrition programs in Hartford, New Britain, and New Haven have been critical to reaching low-income children and children of color who are disproportionately affected by childhood obesity.